Many computer systems include components that can be characterized as a backend system and frontend, respectively. Typically, the backend stores and processes data, among other services, and the frontend is responsible for presenting the backend data and allowing users to manipulate the data when applicable. For example, the R/3 system from SAP AG is a backend system that is capable of handling many different types of data processing and management services in an enterprise resource planning (ERP) environment, such as services related to customer relationship management (CRM). Moreover, SAP AG provides a business warehouse (BW) system that offers data repository management services that can be used in connection with the backend system. For example, the BW system lets users formulate queries that can be run on various data repositories of backend data. The BW server also provides visual displays for presenting query results in formats that are most suitable for the various users of the system. These visual displays that present operational data to a user may be referred to as reports, because they are akin to a traditional paper-based business report.
One disadvantage with the mentioned existing systems and other backend systems is that the report displayed to the user rarely has any useful connection to operational data in the backend. That is, if the user intends to go to the source for the report data, these systems seldom provide a convenient user navigation to the source data. For example, when the user is looking at a particular table in a report generated by a data repository management service, there is no convenient way for the user to navigate to the backend source data that was used in creating the table. Rather, the user has to identify the proper backend service that handles the operational data, and access the backend system to launch that service. Moreover, it may be necessary for the user to know navigation path of the service in the backend system and object key to access the data in the backend system.
The user may face similar problems when the user initiates a session for accessing a service and performing a task. The user usually accesses a service via a web interface, or an backend application login. However, in case of the web interface, the user needs to know uniform resource locator (URL) of the service. Moreover, in case of the backend application login, a client of backend application has to run on user system and the user needs to know the backend system. In addition, with both the web interface and backend application login, the user typically has to know the service to be used and also navigation path of the service.